By Joe Kay
The Associated Press

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CINCINNATI - The Bus was finally up and running, the defense was getting turnovers and crumpling the quarterback, and thousands of fans were twirling towels in celebration.

It seemed like old times for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A team picked to win its division finally played like a champion Sunday, beating the Cincinnati Bengals 34-7 before a crowd that included thousands of joyous Steelers fans.

"That's how we've got to play," said Lee Flowers, who intercepted Jon Kitna twice. "The team you saw on the field - that's what you were expecting. That's the team that hopefully you're going to see for the next 11 weeks. We re-established our identity."

The Steelers (2-3) reclaimed a share of first place in the AFC North and regained a little of the luster that was lost during season-opening drubbings by New England and Oakland.

Jerome Bettis had his first 100-yard rushing game, Tommy Maddox got his first win as a starting NFL quarterback, and the defense picked Kitna off three times, sacked him five times and forced him to fumble.

"I don't believe anyone in the locker room was ever in a panic about: 'We can't go 1-4,"' said Maddox, who was 16-of-25 for 216 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. "There was never that feeling. To come out and put a complete game like this together could have a snowball effect."

The Bengals know all about snowballs.

The NFL's last winless team is 0-6 for the fifth time since 1991, when Cincinnati began its run as the league's worst team. A 12th straight season without a winning record is all but assured.

"Is it an all-time low? I don't think it can get much lower," said fifth-year cornerback Artrell Hawkins. "Collectively, I think this is as low as I can remember it being around here.

"You get to a point where you just don't understand, and you look around at the guys that are here and you just don't know what else you can do."

One thing that general manager Mike Brown could do is change coaches. Dick LeBeau had joked that he would dive into the Ohio River if the Bengals beat Pittsburgh; instead, his team went into the tank.

Now, the Bengals have a bye week - the perfect time to change coaches, if Brown is inclined.

"That is something I don't have to worry about," LeBeau said. "He either will or he won't. That question will be answered for me."

Kitna didn't need much time to answer the overriding question of the game. He couldn't duplicate his career day against the Steelers last December, when he threw 68 times for 411 yards and drew up the blueprint for beating their defense.

In the rematch, Kitna had the worst game of his life.

"I've been playing since fifth grade," Kitna said. "I've never played more poorly than I did today. I've never been more disappointed in myself."

Kitna's first-half turnovers helped the Steelers pull ahead 24-0, and rookie Antwaan Randle El returned the second-half kickoff 99 yards to essentially end it.

"No one likes to lose," coach Bill Cowher said. "At some point, you get mad and say enough is enough."

Unless you're the Bengals.

"We're the laughingstock of the league," running back Lorenzo Neal said. "It's embarrassing. It's a disgrace."

Notes: The crowd of 63,900 was the fourth-largest in Paul Brown Stadium history and included thousands of Steelers fans. ... Randle El's kickoff return was the second-longest in team history. Don McCall's 101-yard kickoff return against Minnesota in 1969 is the record. ... The Bengals made struggling WR Michael Westbrook inactive for the game. ... LB Brian Simmons played sparingly because of a jammed shoulder.

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